Top 3 Best 6 Inch Clip Oscillating Fans for Indoor Grow Tent in 2022

 A grow tent setup without a grow tent fan or multiple grow tent fans is a grow tent setup destined to fail. The grower will experience poor yields, weakened stems and can suffer from burnt canopies.

Air circulation is vital in any grow tent setup and if you don’t do your research, or fail to incorporate the right equipment, you may as well be throwing your time and money away.

The Solution?

It can be as easy as incorporating a cheap everyday clip-on or tabletop fan, It really is that simple, this is one area price should be no obstacle.

When thinking about incorporating a grow tent fan into your grow room or grow tent, all it really comes down to is personal choice, the type of grow tent setup, size of the grow tent fan needed and price, that’s about it.

Quite often people will use search terms such as best fans for grow tents, hydroponic fans, best grow tent fans, etc…Thinking they’ll find one specific fan to beat all others.

But let’s be honest, there’s a multitude of fan options out there that could be used for your grow room. So below we’ve highlighted some of the best reviewed to speed up your growing journey.

Importance Of Using an Oscillating Fan in A Grow Tent

Controlling temperature — An oscillating fan moves air in different directions around the plants and out of the grow tent. This movement of air results in a state of equilibrium and stabilization of temperatures between inside and outside of the grow tent thus controlling the temperatures. The movement of air also increases evaporation and evapotranspiration which cools the plants further.

Controlling humidity — Humidity in a grow tent usually results from transpiration. Excessively high humidity usually hinders the growth of plants as it affects the transpiration rate. In combination with heat, it may result in the growth of mold and mildew. An inline fan is usually used to deal with humidity. However, an oscillating fan is very effective at circulating the dead stagnant air inside the grow tent.

Drawing in fresh air for the plants — Plants use a lot of carbon dioxide when growing and in the process release oxygen. A fan becomes necessary to move the oxygen from the enclosed grow tent to the surroundings and bring in ‘fresh air’ rich having more CO2 for the plants to use.

ECO Farm 6 Inch Clip Oscillating Fan Fit for Grow Tent with 3-Speed Control

Features:

The ECO Farm Fan is a portable and comfortable type that can be easily installed anywhere you need to provide quality airflow and reliable performance, making it ideal for homes, greenhouses, garages, gyms, workshops, and more. The fan has an adjustable tilt mechanism to change the position and orientation of the fan. A quiet, powerful motor lets you adjust in three modes for optimal airflow and comfort. The sturdy, compact fan is ideal for circulating air in a grow tent for even temperatures and improved ventilation. The lightweight mesh exterior protects the fan blades and fan surroundings from damage. High-quality components keep this fan running low profile.

Growbuds 6 Inch Grow Tent Oscillating Clip-On Fan

Features:

Made with the highest quality materials and designed to fit perfectly on grow tent poles and swing smoothly, the Growbuds Clip Fan will become your favorite and will keep the fresh air in your grow room for years to come. It is designed to be compatible with all tent pole sizes and these fans will not slip off the poles. The triple 6.3" helical fan blades are angled to provide efficient airflow with high and low settings to keep your lady fresh and comfortable. The fan can be adjusted simply with a rocker to direct the airflow exactly where you need it. The Growbuds Clip Fan has a flexible 90-degree horizontal range and 120-degree vertical range.

Canarm 20" Greenhouse Oscillating Fan

Features:

This Canarm horizontal airflow wall fan provides gentle air flow and is ideal for use in the greenhouse and agricultural industries, but it also adds comfort to offices and other commercial spaces. Stylish and effective, you can choose the size that best suits your needs. A fully enclosed motor means quiet, efficient and long-lasting operation. Its variable motor can be adjusted to your needs. Open guard spacing allows for better air distribution. Its suspension bracket allows for up and down rotation, as well as 360-degree rotation for complete airflow control.

Grow Tent Fan Buying Guide

If you are not completely sure what type of fan you need and what features are important, this buying guide will clear some things up. We’ll begin with a rundown of the different types of fans.

Different Types of Fans
There are 3 basic types of fans typically used for gardening applications:

Inline fans
Oscillating fans
Static fans

Each type of fan is used for a specific purpose. Most serious growers will need all 3 types for a successful operation.

In addition to having humidity control and temperature control via a central A/C unit or a window mount or portable unit, having airflow is necessary for reasons discussed earlier.

It is not enough to just control temperature and humidity. And each type of fan will aid you in a different way.

Inline Fans
These are fans that are typically installed within a duct system or used as exhaust fans blowing directly outside. They are not always equipped with sensors or on/off switches but many of the higher end models are.

They are called inline, because they are used in line with the ducts, as an integral part of the ventilation system, as opposed to a free standing fan that blows air all around the room.

A serious grow tent will need at least 2 inline fans, one for intake and one for exhaust. Some larger operations will have several inline fans to do the job. Smaller tents usually just have an exhaust fan.

Oscillating Fans
Oscillators are fans that serve to move air around inside the tent, or room. Where inline fans are used in a closed system to bring in air from outside or push air from inside to the outside, oscillating fans keep the internal air from getting stale.

They also serve the important role of agitating your plants, serving as artificial wind inside your closed system. Plants need to be moved around by natural forces to help them stay healthy, and since you have no wind inside, the oscillating fans are taking the place of natural wind.

This type of fan is also good for keeping the temperature even throughout a large area. In any room, especially one with grow lights and other heat sources, hot spots will quickly emerge.

Near the lights it may be several degrees hotter than elsewhere in the tent. Moving the air from one place to another will keep ambient temperatures more uniform in your space. The moving air also serves to dry the plants, which prevents mold from forming.

Static Fans
These are the basic fans you see everywhere. They do not oscillate or move. They can either sit on the floor or be clipped on to structures, but static fans are stationary.

Static fans are used in situations where you need to constantly move air in a specific area of the room, and you want the airflow to stay on the same spot over time.

A great example of when you need a static fan would be if you had a section where several lights were in one spot. A static fan could cool the surface temp of the lights as well as drop the temp in the immediate area, before the oscillating fans move the air out of the area.

Fan Size
The bigger the fan the more air it will move. This is a simple concept which makes it easy to choose your fan size.

Of course, that is not always the only concern, considering many of us are working within finite space constraints. If you had a massive warehouse, you would simply buy as many of the biggest fans as you could afford and move as much air as possible.

Inline
Inline fans come in many sizes. The most common sizes you will see in grow tents are 4″ and 6″, with the occasional 8 or 12″ fan. They do get even bigger but once you get over 8″, you are getting into some heavy duty large spaces, not the normal grow tent situation.

Oscillating
Oscillating fans come in many sizes as well, but most situations require a 12″ fan or larger, which are the most common sizes. Chances are good that if you have a normal grow tent you will be looking for a small oscillating fan for grow tent use of around 12 inches in size. These can move a lot of air and do not take up too much space.

Static
Static fans can be found in the same sizes as oscillating fans. Most common for our application are the clip on 8″ or standard floor fans. Most box fans that sit on the floor are about 20″. You can choose the size you need based on your specific situation.

Budget
Because fans are so important, it makes sense to buy the best ones you can with the money you have. Since they are generally not that expensive you can get a significantly better fan for only a few dollars more in most cases.

You want a fan that will last a long time and move a lot of air. You usually want it to do so with a minimum amount of noise, too.

There are many poorly made fans you can get for extremely cheap, so be careful! If you stick to the fans we have highlighted here, you will be sure to get a quality unit at a fair price.

Conclusion

When starting a grow tent setup, you’ll need a grow tent fan or multiple grow tent fans at some stage, there are hundreds of options out there from clip-on grow tent fans, all the way up to industrial grow tent fans.

They can range in price from the very affordable to your ridiculously expensive. Remember, it’s all personal preference and depends on what type of grow room you have, and what you hope to achieve in terms of the end product.

In terms of inline fans for grow tents, carbon filters, and extractor systems, we’ll be covering them in later articles so be sure to check back.